Recap: Houston Dynamo 3, Philadelphia Union 0

The Houston Dynamo defeated the Philadelphia Union 3-0 behind a first-half brace from forward Mauro Manotas to win its first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Manotas notched his fifth goal of the tournament four minutes into the game after forward Alberth Elis outran a Union defender on the flank. La Pantera’s cross found Manotas crouched in the heart of the six yard box for the first goal of the game.

The Colombian claimed sole possession of the Open Cup Golden Boot in the 25th minute when he doubled Houston’s lead. La Panterita found Manotas again at the edge of the box, the forward dribbled toward the far post and fired a left-footed shot that bounced off the post and into the net for Manotas’ 20th goal of the year.

Houston midfielder Tomás Martínez dribbled through the heart of the box in the 65th minute to create space for forward Romell Quioto forcing a save from Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake. The rebound fell to Auston Trusty who attempted to clear the ball but scored an own goal to give Houston its final goal of the game.

With the victory, Houston will return to the CONCACAF Champions League in 2019 and for the first time since the 2013-2014 edition of the tournament.

The Dynamo return to BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday to host the San Jose Earthquakes in their annual Kick Childhood Cancer match. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT and the first 5,000 fans will receive an Albert Elis bobblehead courtesy of Heriberto Ramos.